Quartz
by xXMethereaperXx
Summary: Martin Light finds himself on the heels of a plot from Team Ambar to save not only his father, but perhaps the entire world! However, he is not alone on his journey, he is accompanied by Lucy, his companion since she was a Ralts, and the well meaning heroine Ran. As their path's entwine, they hold the balance of existence in their hands. Hacked AU
1. (P) Prologue

I've been playing the hacked games and they've been giving me an idea for a story. I have many of the hacked ones on actual cards to play on my ds, but by far my favorite has been Quartz.

My story will be loosely based on the events of quartz, and will feature the pokemon from that game. This is a Trailer/Prologue for that story.

It will start simply as a monologue and then progress to the beginning of the story. Just something to see if I should waste my, your time with my idea.

I have long since grew up and lost interest in the TV series, so I'll try to remain as factual and close to canon as I can, however, Quartz has new moves, entirely new pokemon, very rough language, and is pretty far from the canon, so if you get confused I can fill you in on what's different.

I am keeping this Teen. There will be occasional swearing (Nothing insane), Occasional Jokes, but it is mostly to go with the romantic plot of the Quartz game. If you can't handle the language, i advise you to not read. Once again, it will not be anything excessively vulgar. I'm sure you've heard worse before.

Anyway, let's begin.

Quartz.

* * *

I had lost count of the times I sat as I was now, turning over in my hand the chunk of what I was told was Quartz. The gem was shining brilliantly in the light of the fire. I had rolled it in my hands so many times it was smooth and became a rounded shape.

I remember the day he gave it to me. He picked it up from the ground and held it to the sunlight where it shimmered and sent rays of color dancing along the trail.

He remarked on it once more and handed it to me.

"It's not really valuable, but it is pretty to look at."

Ever since, I've kept it close by. Even now I hold it dear to me, as much as the air I breathe.

It hurts me to see him like this, sitting as he usually does, staring blankly into the fire, leaning against a tree while lost in thought.

I've asked him about it several times, but received no honest answer, always being told it's nothing important.

It's days like this that I reminisce our paths crossing, and shudder at the thought of how dramatically that day could of ended.

[][][]

Martin awoke from his sleep with a jolt, the dreams that tormented him instantly forgotten. Though the doctors could find no reason for them, his father always blamed himself, fearing it was the testing of the Dream Machine that afflicted his only son.

Martin took in his surroundings, recognizing his room after several moments. Once his breathing returned to normal, he gave up trying to remember the dream.

After a quick shower and change of clothes, he made his way downstairs to where his mother was sitting at the table their phone rested at. Upon hearing him enter, she turned in his direction.

"Here he is. Martin, come talk to your father, he has a surprise for you," her voice called, happy and worriless as usual.

He walked over to the phone and sat in front of the screen. There was a new device hooked to the bottom of it, and had a round indentation on it.

"Hey son, Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks dad!" he replied cheerfully.

The screen showed his dad inside his office at Ba-CHAN. In the background he could see his co-worker, Jose, working on something using a computer interface. His father's beard was growing darker, a sign that he'd pulled too many days without rest, and his hair was disheveled.

Come to think of it, it had been awhile since he'd seen him in person.

"It's not everyday you turn nine, son, so I arranged for you to test our new invention."

Martin's face flushed of all color.

"No, no, nothing like the Dream Machine," he began with a chuckle, "I have Jose testing all those."

In the background Jose waved his hand without turning away from the machine.

"I have something much safer for you to try. Your mother and I know you've been wanting a pokemon for awhile, and seeing as there's no one your age in Breeze, we've decided that now might be a good time for you to choose one."

Martin's jaw dropped at the realization of what he was saying, "You mean I can become a trainer?!"

"Well, eventually, son. Let's get you your pokemon and see where it takes you. I'm sending over something I've helped create."

The device under the screen began flashing and a round orb of light manifested on the tray. There was an loud whirring sound that quickly disappeared when the outline of a poke ball appeared.

'Wait,' he thought, 'Poke balls are red and white, this one's purple and pink with an M on it.'

He rolled the large object in his hand, inspecting it carefully.

"That's not an normal poke ball," his father said as if reading his mind, "That is what we've come to name a Master ball. We've designed it to catch any wild pokemon without failing. After a discussion with Baro-Chan, he agreed to let you do the testing on it to make sure you get the pokemon you want."

"I don't know what to say," Martin struggled to say.

His father smiled, "Don't say anything. Just go out and find your partner. I'll be home tonight, and I expect to see something interesting, understood?"

Martin nodded quickly, "Understood. And be sure to thank Baro-Chan for me!"

"I will, son. Goodbye."

"Bye dad, bye Jose!"

Jose turned from the computer and waved towards the screen, "See ya."

In the moment he'd looked away the computer began beeping loudly and smoke began filling the room they were in.

Amid Jose's panicked yelling, the screen flickered to black.

"Glad I'm not testing that one." Martin said quietly.

"What was that?" his mother asked.

Martin shook his head, "Nothing. Can I go out now?"

His mother's face took on a look of nervousness, but she eventually nodded and Martin ran for the door.

"Be careful! There's no harm in waiting a day or two!"

The door slammed loudly and she cringed as a Charmander figurine fell from the shelf over the phone and landed on the desk.

Sighing, she placed it back on the shelf amid the others.

[]/[]/[]

Martin quickly ran through the trail leading to the forest, soon finding himself out of breath. He slowed to a stop and caught his breath, deciding it'd be just as long if he walked.

He thought excitedly about what pokemon he'd catch. Something big and strong had always been top on his list, but something too big could be troublesome in his medium sized house. He assumed something small could be just as good, as long as it was cool looking.

He looked at the ball he held in his hand while he walked. The memories of his encounter with the Dream Machine made him hesitant to believe it was safe.

The Dream Machine was a device built to use the dreams of people and pokemon to solve crimes and learn more about the subconscious of living creatures. The machine consisted of two helmets worn by a tester, Martin, and the controller, in this case a Mr. Mime trained specifically to handle the machine.

The Mr. Mime was in a remote location using telepathy to interact with Martin. Something inside his mind triggered Mr. Mime's last resort, a Dream Eater attack. Martin was in a state of medically induced sleep, and this attack warped his mind beyond belief, triggering attacks of telepathically stimulated nightmares.

Mr. Mime had no memory of using this attack, nor shown previous signs of the ability to use it.

Ever since, Martin has had nightmares and something else unexplained or known to his parents.

When around pokemon, it was like he could understand what they were trying to tell him. They didn't speak in their normal sounds, but used actual words. Once he asked how his parent's acquaintance had taught their pokemon to speak. He was answered by a quizzical look as if they didn't understand what he was saying.

'Well,' he thought to himself, 'If dad say's it's safe, it is.'

Breeze was a small town, if you could call it that. Nothing but a couple houses in an area stripped of trees. There wasn't a Poke Center, everyone there had maintenance free units in their homes to heal. The Light's had one but rarely used it since their father was the only one who owned a pokemon, and he was usually at Ba-CHAN in Pinkranite.

In a town with a population of six, it was often quiet. When Marin heard yelling in the woods, it couldn't be good news.

He hurried his pace and ducked behind a tree as the group burst into a clearing with a struggling pokemon in their grasp.

"Finally, we got it!" yelled the one holding the frightened creature.

They quickly swarmed around it obscuring his view. Martin quietly moved to the other side of the clearing.

"I'd never seen one like this," shouted another, "It must be a rare one."

"I think it's a Ralts,"

From the looks of them, they were older teens and all three wore matching uniforms that were black and red.

"Hold it still while I try to catch it."

As he walked forward, he pulled an empty ball from his belt and clicked the button to enlarge it. When he moved aside, Martin was able to get a look at the pokemon.

It struggled against the captor but lacked the strength to escape. It was a small one, couldn't be more than a foot tall. It's hair was green and red but held it's shape through it's movement. It's body was completely white and looked as if it was wearing a dress.

As the first attacker neared, the Ralts bit it's captor on the arm. Screaming loudly, the person holding the Ralts dropped it and began flailing his arm.

After hitting the ground, Ralts seen Martin hiding behind the tree and quickly ran in his direction. Suddenly, in a fit of rage, the uniformed victim kicked hard, sending the frightened creature halfway across the clearing.

Martin returned to his hiding place and contemplated what to do. It wasn't any of his business, he didn't even have a pokemon to defend himself.

Still, the look it gave him…

"Damn it," came the pained voice.

"Maybe we should weaken it first."

That caught his attention and he heard the cry of the Ralts.

Martin moved to another tree but stepped on a twig causing a loud SNAP!

"What was that?!" came a voice he hadn't heard.

It was now or never.

Martin charged from his hiding spot and caught the ball wielding attacker in the chest with a head butt. The other two were momentarily surprised and fell back several steps.

The Ralts ran to hide behind Martin but jumped back to avoid a thrown poke ball.

The ball came from the downed attacker who sighed loudly as he slowly began to regain his breath.

"What are you doing?" Martin yelled loudly, trying to make himself seem older than he was, "It obviously doesn't want to be caught, so leave it alone!"

Now returned to his feet, the first attacker chuckled wickedly, "Do you know who we are kid? We're with Team Ambar! If we want something, we take it."

"You can try," Martin said, widening his stance.

"Boss," came a voice from the side, "Kid's got a master ball!"

The leader looked to what Martin held in his hand, "No way, that's exactly what Amber described! How'd he get it?!"

Martin looked to the ball but brought his vision back to the group in front of him.

"All right, here's what's gonna happen," began the leader, "You're gonna give us that ball, and we'll forget all about you being here."

Martin thought for a moment, "And if I don't?"

The group began chuckling, "We take it from you with force and we still end up the pokemon."

Martin looked at the ball again, "Or."

The Ralts had begun running for the dense brush surrounding the clearing. It stopped when it heard the yell and seen the flash as the Master ball closed around it.

[]/[]/[]

Martin sat in pain against a tree in the clearing. Dried blood stained the front of his shirt, and the source had long since ceased it's deluge. He touched his sore nose, wincing at the sharp pain it caused. The cut across his cheek was long forgotten, with his main focus being his throbbing chest.

He kept his eyes focused on the master ball that now held the Ralts.

He sighed and dropped his head against the tree, sending his vision toppling amidst a new barrage of colors and shapes.

He questioned whether he did the right thing. On one hand, he saved it from Team Ambar, but on the other, he wasted the Master Ball on a weak pokemon. What would his dad say when he came home expecting a remarkable specimen, but was presented with this?

He decided he would have to try to catch something else with a normal poke ball and make it look like the master ball.

He struggled his way to his feet, leaning entirely against the tree. The beating at the hands of the Ambar grunts was fierce and it'd be hard to explain, but he'd worry about that later.

He stumbled to the where the ball sat and picked it up, flailing his arms to keep from toppling over.

He remarked it for a moment, then pushed the button and released the Ralts who quickly checked it's surroundings. Seeing only Martin, it gave a confused look.

Martin snapped the lid off of the Master Ball and threw it into the brush.

"Well, so long," he said as he disappeared amid the trees and shrubs, dreading his hike to Pinkranite to buy poke balls.

As he walked out of view, the Ralts remained standing in the clearing. It looked around, expecting the attackers to return, and ultimately take it captive.

Finally, it ran in the direction Martin left.

[]/[]/[]

Martin walked into the store, a bag of pink and purple paint from the Academy in his left hand. After a minute of browsing, he found himself at the poke balls.

'I'd better buy a couple,' he though while he was looking at the different types on display.

Even the basic poke ball was pricy, and he could only afford one.

With a heavy sigh, he picked one from the display and walked to the cashier. After paying, he left to begin painting it.

As Martin passed through the door and continued walking to the park, Ralts crawled out of it's hiding spot under the vending machine near the door. It watched Martin walk for awhile, then looked through the door at the display he was just looking at.

The Ralts put it's arms up and the door slid open slowly. Using telepathy, it selected a poke ball from the display and carried it to the doorway. Once through, it grabbed it in it's arms and walked off into the direction Martin went.

[]/[]/[]

Martin held up the poorly painted poke ball and shook his head. He was sure he had the colors out of order, and still faintly dizzy from his ordeal, he had mistakenly painted a W in place of the M.

He sighed and leaned back against the bench facing the fountain.

He ignored the curious glances from everyone else enjoying their day in the park.

'Maybe he'll be tired from work and won't notice,' he thought to himself.

There was a quiet thud from the seat next to him, and he saw a poke ball rolling on the bench.

He looked around, not seeing the cause, but heard soft grunts coming from under the bench. He continued watching as the Ralts finally managed to climb it's way to onto the bench.

It picked up the poke ball and raised it toward Martin, who hesitantly took it.

Martin spent a moment looking from the Ralts to the ball it gave him.

"Martin? What're you doing out this way?"

He looked to where the voice had come and seen Jose standing near the entrance to the park.

"Oh, uh, just taking a break." he said, quickly stuffing the poke balls into his pocket, "Did you leave work early?"

"No, we had a mishap with one of the machines and I had to pick up some replacement parts."

Jose walked to the bench, but stopped when he seen the pokemon beside him, "Is this what you caught with the prototype?"

Martin looked to where the Ralts was hiding behind his arm, "Uh, yeah,"

Jose crouched low and looked at it for a while.

"Maybe you should go see your father since you're here."

[]/[]/[]

Martin stood nervously while the elevator carried them up to the top floor where Ba-Chan's office was.

As the door's opened, he seen his dad standing next to the desk where his boss was sitting, facing them. Martin followed Jose into the room, carrying the Ralts who was shaking nervously.

"Let me see what you got," Ba-Chan asked while standing from his chair.

Martin gulped loudly, and set the pokemon on the desk and stepped backward. The Ralts turned looked at the people in the room. Ba-Chan leaned forward and inspected it for awhile before turning to Martin's father.

"You have the Pokedex's?"

He walked forward and set three devices on the table. He picked up one and opened it. After a push of a button, a light flashed, startling Ralts. After a scan, there was a repetitive beep. He showed the device to Ba-Chan and Jose who both nodded.

He likewise did the same with the others. All made the same noise, though each was of a different design. They looked at each other for a moment, then Jose took the devices and left the room.

"Well," Ba-Chan began, Martin fearing the worst.

The middle-aged man gave a huge grin and shrugged, "You caught quite the pokemon, my friend. She's not in any of our Pokedex's, even our international one composed by various trainers in other countries."

Martin blinked and looked at the Ralts who was now calmly sitting on the table.

"Do you have the master ball?" his father asked.

Martin shook his head, "No, I dropped it and it shattered into pieces."

"Really? Perhaps we need more testing on it's structural integrity."

Ba-Chan shrugged, "If it could catch something as unique as this, I'd say it's fine."

"A group of men said it was a Ralts."

They exchanged glances.

"Tell me more about this group of men." asked Ba-Chan.

[]/[]/[]

Martin walked the trail through the woods to Breeze, his new companion beside him. At the urging of his father, he had chosen a new nickname for her. He chose something more human than abstract. Lucy seemed a good name.

She kept his pace, occasionally stumbling on her dress, but quickly catching back up. Maybe she wasn't an unremarkable pokemon after all.

He checked the entry Jose added to his new pokedex.

**Name**: Ralts/Lucy, **Height**: 1' 04", **Weight**: 14lbs,** Gender**: Female, **Type**: Psychic, **Species**: Not Yet Known, **Abilites: **Telepathy

Martin closed the device watched the setting sun as they walked. Not sure what to do next, but somehow unconcerned.

[][][]

With each passing day, my old memories are slowly being replaced with new ones. Even this memory is growing hazy, and takes some thought to remember it fully. I desperately hope I will never fully forget the day I found my owner. I had long since evolved to who I am now, and though it's past, I can't help clinging to it.

I suddenly grew warmer. I look to where Martin had fallen asleep, and I could tell this dream was more pleasant than his usual nightmares.

I hope this dream lasts forever.

Soon we'll be back to Breeze and then we'll know what awaits us next. I hope my new memories are as happy as the ones I've experienced.

I replace the Quartz into the backpack, and follow his example. Sleep will come easy tonight.

* * *

Well, there it is. Sorry it's so long, was supposed to be a short intro but I got carried away. Not my best work, but I'm happy with it.

If I continue, I'll try to get it shorter than this.

So, let me know what you think, if not the traffic will.

Thanks for reading.


	2. (1) Our Journey Begins

Hey.

In all honesty, I had finished this chapter a long time ago and forgot about the story until recently (Thanks, you know who). I decided this is one of those stories I'm gonna finish whether it takes a couple months or years to do, regardless of it's reception.

I have redone the alot of the chapter to go a little with the new plot inspired by a CP story, but other than that it will be the same.

Anyway, let's get to it, shall we?

[][][]

He had thrown the note into the fire. He had read it enough to memorize it in the three months since he'd gotten it. It started the same. "How're you doing? How many badges have you won? How's Lucy? How's the team coming along?" This time, however, it suggested coming home.

He hadn't thought about it. He had given up on being a trainer until he overcame the guilt he felt, so he was sure he'd never try again. That one mistake cost him everything. If he hadn't left Lucy with friends, he would of lost her too.

They were right to deny access to MT. Silver, only allowing those who have proven they could handle the climate. He still remembers the snow…

If only he hadn't snuck in…

If only he'd have listened… his team, no, his partners would still be with him today.

He'd still be in Lavender Town, clinging to the past, if it wasn't for the letter.

Had something happened? Were there more news about dad? Had they called off the search?

There were no signs or even any knowledge of Team Ambar in Johto, and the police had their own lunatics to deal with.

He stood now, leaning on the rails of the Super Schooner, rocketing across the water. He kept telling himself that it was for the best.

'The less friends you have, the less you have to suffer,' the voice screamed at him, his mind creating the person, down to the cold, blank eyes and red clothes.

He suddenly felt the nauseating effect of the jostling waves.

On the other hand, Lucy seemed to be enjoying the ride. The less she knows, the happier she'll be.

"Put it out of your mind," he said aloud.

Lucy looked over, "What was that?"

He shook his head, "Just talking out loud."

[][][]

Martin sat in the middle of the front bench seat of a truck cruising down the road. The driver was nice enough to offer them a ride when he overheard of the bus depot's delay.

"I doubt a bus would go out that way anyhow," the driver commented, "You'd probably end up walking from Pink Town."

"Pink Town?" he asked.

"Yeah, we'll be passing it on the way to Breeze Town."

Martin shook his head in disbelief, "Breeze is a town now?"

The driver nodded, "They expanded it a few years ago when Ba-CHAN moved a majority of it's lab there. It's still a small town, a couple houses and the lab."

"No kidding?"

Lucy pointed out the window to where a man was yelling at a bush. His brown hair was disheveled and his white coat smudged with mud.

Martin turned his head to get a better look.

"That guy looks like a lunatic," Lucy said turning to look back through the windshield.

"You said it."

"What was that?" the driver asked curiously.

Martin nodded toward the window, "That guy seemed to be bolt short of a toolbox."

The driver adjusted the rearview mirror and looked at him.

"That looked like Professor Baro. Though I can't think of why he'd be out this way."

Suddenly, Lucy jumped in her seat, "We need to get out at Pink Town."

"For what?"

"Just trust me on this." she said, avoiding eye contact.

"Pardon?" the driver asked.

"You could let us out at Pink Town."

The driver began slowing down to make the turn at the road leading to the town, "You sure? It's not that far after Pink Town to Breeze."

"Yeah, if it's not that far we could walk."

"Aye, aye," the driver said while giving a salute.

[][][]

Martin watched as the truck drove away. After it went out of sight, they turned and entered the bustling city.

"See something?" he asked when he was sure no one else would be listening.

Lucy didn't respond, just kept walking.

Martin shrugged and continued looking around. They must have just finished a fair or celebration, because there were groups of people removing decorations and packing boxes. Many were finely dressed and were watching while their children ran about and played happily. He had noticed a lot of them were on roller skates.

There was a booth still open that was selling clothes and other souvenirs.

"I'm not sure what to get…" the woman looking at the shirts was saying.

Martin stopped and looked at the pokemon beside her, struggling to get her to see the yellow T-shirt it was holding up.

The print on it was pink and embellished the Pink Town slogan: Think Pink!

He hadn't seen a pokemon like that one before. It was mouse-like, but bright yellow, wearing sunglasses and had red ears. It made him realize that he didn't remember a lot of the pokemon here.

"I just can't decide what would look good on my Henry," the lady said while browsing the stand.

The owner of the booth looked as if she'd been there all day and had given up any hope of closing on time.

The pokemon sighed and returned the shirt to it's original place.

"You want that one, huh?"

Henry turned and looked at Martin. For a moment he was unsure what to say.

"Yeah, but she won't look over here."

"That happen a lot?" Martin asked.

Henry nodded, confused at the fact a human understood him, "You don't know the half of it! The other day I was trying to get her to look at a scarf but she got these instead. If I take'em off she just puts them back on. I can't see out of them!"

"Excuse me?" the lady asked, now turning to where Martin was crouched in front of Henry.

Martin looked up, "I think he wants that yellow shirt there."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and I don't think he likes those glasses too much."

She leaned down and looked at them carefully, "Give me five Henry!"

Henry flailed his arm frantically, not able to see hers.

"Maybe you're right." she said as she pulled the glasses off his face.

[][][]

Martin stood at the door to what resembled his old house, only a different color and no longer surrounded by trees.

It was nearly seven years since he'd been here. He was unaware if he was welcome enough to walk in, or if he should knock.

Lucy leaned around him and knocked loudly.

The door was opened moments later. There was a woman he was sure wasn't his mother who answered the door.

"Can I help you?"

Martin leaned back and checked the address, positive he had the wrong house and his was the only other one in the city.

"Uh, I think I have the wrong house. I'm looking for the Lights?"

"It's the right house," Lucy answered.

The woman smiled and stepped back, "You must be Martin! It's great to finally meet you! Come in, your mother's been waiting for you!"

Martin nodded and they walked in, waiting to follow the woman, still not fully remembering the layout of his childhood home.

"Suzanne, you have guests."

She looked up as they entered, dropping her magazine in surprise, "Martin! I can't believe how much you've grown!"

Forcing a smile, he dropped his backpack and returned the embrace, "I know, it's been awhile. It's good to be back."

"You've gotten so tall!" She said, shaking her head in disbelief, "Same goes for you Lucy. You're taller than I am!"

"Well, you know." she said, even though no one else could understand her.

"Come! Sit down! Oh, this is Ms. Kabuchi. She moved next door with her daughter, Ran."

"A pleasure," she said as they shook hands.

"So, how's everything? Are you still training for the… Tournament? What's it called?"

By sheer will power, he kept his smile, "The Elite Four. It's kind of a long story."

"Oh, so you're a trainer. My daughter's been hooked on becoming a trainer, spends all her time studying and watching the battles at the Gym."

"That's a good way to start."

Ms. Kabuchi nodded, "You know, she's about your age, maybe you could show her a thing or two. She's still a little confused by some of the details."

"Depends on how long I'll be in town, but I'd be happy to," he answered, knowing all too well he planned on leaving before then.

"That'd be great! What she's lacking is hands on experience. Maybe if she was in a battle-"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he began, rising from the table, "If you'll excuse me, I could use a shower after that long trip. While I'm gone, you have to hear one of Lucy's jokes."

Ms. Kabuchi clapped her hands and stared expectantly, "Oh, I love jokes!"

"Your room's the same as you left it, dear." Suzanne called after him.

"Okay, let's hear one!"

Lucy hadn't been paying attention and laughed nervously at being the center of focus.

[][][]

Martin splashed water over his face and looked in the mirror.

He ran a hand through his long, black hair and remarked on his goatee.

'Gonna need a hair cut soon,' he thought, 'A shave wouldn't hurt either.'

"_I don't know any jokes, jerk! You're lucky they can't understand me."_ Lucy's voice said telepathically.

He fastened the belt on his blue jeans, _'Come on, you're the funniest person I know!'_

There was a delay in her response, _"Uh, you might want to come down here."_

_Quickly pulling on his white T-Shirt, he walked out of the bathroom and tossed his backpack on the bed. As he turned to walk out of the room, however, something caught his eye. Hanging on the wall was the red coat he used to wear as a kid._

_He put it on, surprised it still fit. He never realized how big he wore his coats back then._

_Reaching into the pockets, his hand was full with the various objects he used to carry._

_Exactly two dollars in change, the poke ball he tried to paint, and his black and orange sunglasses. He rolled the poke ball around in his hand, enjoying the memory._

"_Martin, come look at this!" his mother's voice yelled to him from living room._

_He dropped the ball in his pocket and clipped the sunglasses to his shirt while he hopped down the steps three at a time._

"_What?"_

_His mother hit the volume button on the remote for the TV._

_A blue screen with the print, 'ACTION NEWS!' flashed on the screen before switching to a news anchor sitting behind a desk._

"_This just in," he began reporting, "There are multiple pokemon attacking local celebrity Baro!'_

_A video began playing of Baro yelling at a tree when a group of pokemon leaps down and begins chasing him._

"_So that was Baro…" he said quietly._

_Ms. Kabuchi shook her head, "He has to be the most accident prone person I've met. Do you think he can handle himself?"_

_Suzanne sighed, "Probably, but I still think someone should go help him."_

"_Oh, my daughter has roller skates. She can go and get Officer Jennie. Would you mind telling her?"_

_Martin nodded, "Sure."_

"_Her name's Ran, by the way."_

_He quickly tied his shoes and opened the door, "I'll be right back, go ahead and tell more of you're hilarious jokes."_

'_I hate you.' Lucy said with a sigh._

_[][][]_

_He stood on the porch and shielded his eyes from the sun as he took a moment to remark how the city had changed._

_Many of the trees were cut down, making the clearing over double the size it was when he left. There were a couple people walking around outside of the lab, but other than that it was still as peaceful as it was before._

_Just now remembering his sunglasses, he slid them on and started toward the neighboring house. He knocked several times before opening the door._

"_Burglar, anyone home?"_

"_Downstairs!"_

_After following her voice, he knocked on the door._

"_Come in."_

_He opened the door and looked around, finally finding her at the computer desk, writing in a notebook. She wore a red skirt and a black T-Shirt with the image of a poke ball on it. Her long hair was orange and tied with a red bow._

"_Ran?"_

_She looked over and dropped her pencil._

"_Sorry to barge in, but-"_

"_Wh-who are you?" she asked, stuttering nervously._

_He took his sunglasses off and clipped them back to his shirt, "I'm Martin, I guess I'm your neighbor."_

_Her face began to flush as she looked away, "P-pleased to m-meet you, I'm Ran."_

"_Are you alright? You're turning red."_

_She laughed, a hair under hysterical, "I'm ok… So what are you doing here?"_

_Martin hesitated a moment, "Well, Baro's in trouble and your mother said you had skates and could go get Jennie to help him."_

"_Of course! I'll go to Pink town. I know a shortcut, I'll be there in no time! I'm fast with my skates, but I actually think a strong boy like you could do better…"_

_Martin blinked, "Pardon?"_

_She shook her head and laughed again, "Ah, just thinking out loud! Well, I should probably be going. Kisses and goodbye! Darn, I shouldn't say that! Uh, h-have to go now!"_

_Martin stepped aside as she ran up the stairs and disappeared from sight._

_He glanced around the room and replaced his sunglasses, "That was weird."_

_Martin walked out of the house, pulling the door closed behind him, and started back to his own. He was halfway there when he heard a faint voice yelling. He stopped and looked toward the entrance to the town, squinting to try and make out the source._

_A figure came into view and appeared to be running toward the town._

"_Help!"_

_Baro came sprinting down the trail, a group of four Sever following him. The yellow and black pokemon didn't look too fearsome, but in a group however, they could be troublesome._

_If Ran took a shortcut, she must not have heard or seen the professor running._

_Before reaching safety, Baro tripped on a large stone in the trail and collapsed to the ground, sending his bag flying._

_He quickly scrambled to his feet and made a break for a nearby tree. He climbed to a good height from the ground only moments before the Sever circled him._

_Sighing from relief, he looked over to where Martin was standing, "Martin, is that you?! Give me a hand! Something's wrong with them, they're feral! I have some pokemon in my bag, use one and get rid of them!"_

_Once he finished yelling, one of the Sever managed to jump high enough to bite his foot. Baro shook it off, but lost his shoe in the process._

_Martin sprinted to the bag and began fumbling for the poke balls. He grabs all he could find and found three in his hand. Two of them seemed like normal poke balls, but one, however, felt different. It felt like a jolt of electricity ran through his hand._

_The Severs stopped and looked in his direction when they heard him drop the bag. They quickly began running toward him._

_Martin watched them approach, and dropped the other two poke balls. Holding the one he felt a connection with in his hand, he took a defensive stance and clicked the button while he swung backwards._

"_Here goes nothing."_

_[][][]_

_Well, there it is. Once again, another long one, my apologies._

_So, we found out Martin had given up on being a trainer, his new neighbor Ran acts strange at times, and Gardevoir's are good at telling jokes._

_I'll get started on the next after I catch up on my other stories._

_Alright, thanks for reading! _


End file.
